Resilient suspension for traction wheels of vehicles



y 1945- c; F. SHAFFER 2,376,942 7 RESILIENT SUSPENSI QN FOR TRACTION WHEELS 0F VEHICLES Original Filed Sept. 5, 1939' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FjE-E' ,g I INVENTOR.

625V: 21''; SHAFFZ}? May 29,'-1945- c F. SHAFFER RESILIENT SUSPENSION FOR TRACTION WHEELS OF VEHICLES 2 Sheets-sheaf 2 Original Filed Sept. 5, i939 w m 3 x m E m {HIP W an: I Jmrkreg I'll/1111i.

Patented May 29,

RESILIENT SUSPENSION FoieraAoirron.

WHEELS 0F VEHICLES v Cleve F. Shaifer, San Francisco, Calif.,-assignor of three-eighths to Pacific Coast Mortgage Company, a corporation of California,. and two? eighths to Herbert W. Erskine, Piedmont, Calif.

Original application September 5, 1939, Serial No.

1943, Serial No.484,274

(o1. ast r i),

7 Claims.

his invention relates to resilient suspension between wheels and bodies of vehicles. It is especially adaptable and advantageous for pleasure,

commercial, agricultural and military vehicles, in

that a new method of lessening shocks from obstructions, holes, etc., is provided, thus giving superior ridingcomfort, longer vehicle life, efficiency and lower construction cost, as no large and heavy axle are required.

This application is a division of my co-pending application, Ser. No. 293,369, filed September 5,

1939, for Military tank, Patent No. 2,317,412, issued April 27, 1943. It is also obvious that a vehicle with an optional mechanism which permits travel or maneuver along the slope of a hill,

such as an agricultural or military vehicle, will have great advantages over vehicles which have difliculty or cannot traverse such terrain.

It is well known that vehicles which must be employed in traversing rough uneven terrain should have resilient wheel suspension. This is particularly true of military and agricultural ve hicles which frequently must travel where there are no prepared roads, and frequently at-relatively high speed. Military vehicles frequently must carry injured soldiers, delicate instruments or explosives, or may be employed as anarmored vehicle or tank which must have a reasonably steady plane for accuracy in aiming and firing weapons. 1 While the invention is described with particular reference to vehicles which normally have ground traction, it is also advantageous'as' a resilient wheel suspension for-landing wheels of airplanes, and in fact in any type of light or heavy vehicle in which it is desired'to providea resilient wheel suspension. g It is advantageous to provide in the suspension mechanism of any vehicle means whereby boththe horizontally and vertically acting forces "of' impact will be absorbed by splitting the impact in such manner as to lessen its efiect' upon the suspension mechanism, the power unlt,and-in fact all the' mechanical parts, as wellas'the occupants.

Another desirable object is to provide for optionally raising and lowering the vehicle body relative to traction surface to efiect greaterclear ance in rough terrain, or to provide a lower swung body with less-ground "clearance for high speed, and to obscure a military vehicle in moving through brush country and low rolling hills, or to raise or lower a wheel, or of vehicles, as for instance on the'side of a hill, so that the vehicle body remains level.

wheels, on one side it is also'an object to provide for braking, snub ployed herein.

Divided and this application April23,

bing and slowing the action of the suspension mechanism.

Having in view the accomplishment of the foregoing and other objects, all of which will be more apparent as this description proceeds, the invention is exemplified in one form in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto 'ap-' pended, it being understood that various changes in the form; proportion, size and details of construction of the apparatus 'may-be resorted to withinthe scope of the appended claims without departingfrom the spirit orsacrificing any of the' advantages of the invention.

To more clearly comprehend the invention, refe'renceis directed to the accompanying draw-- ings, wherein: I

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary portion of wall of a light armored 'vehicle diagrammatically illustrative of positioning of the wheel suspension mechamsm.

Fig.2 is a, vertical longitudinally transverse section on line 11-11 of Fig.3, of the suspension mechanismfor supporting the vehicle body relative -to the wheel. f i

Fig.3 is a vertical laterally transverse section of the suspension mechanism shown in Fig. 2 on III- -III. a v

Fig. 4 is-a horizontal section on line IV- -IV of Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the suspension mechanism,'though it is a side elevation of the vehicle.

Fig. 6 is a transverse-section on line VI-VI of;

In order more readily to tie the description herein with comparable descriptive matter in my said co-pehding application,Ser. No. 293,369,-the-' I reference characters employed for corresponding parts in' that application have been similarly em- Referring to the drawings in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views, l5 indicates generally a frag mentary portion of one form of vehicle body,

which, as here illustrated, is a. light military vehicle of suitable armor material, in which the front wall I 6 is inclined upwardly and rearwardly from bottom to top at an angle to thevertical. The side walls 20 of body l5 are providedadjacent the wheelwith a vertical elongated recess 2| for receiving the vertical adjustment wheel suspension mechanism.

The wheel to which the resilient suspension is cam. On the rebound downward movement "of the carrier these cam shoes have an additional wedge action against the tracks to resist the recoil of the carrier until the loops resume their normal position and the abnormal tautening of the loops-is no longer effective. i a l These cams do not, however, prevent the intended upward and downward adjustment of the block I56 and carrier I55 by the cylinder I6I and piston I 60, because the pressure faces of cams I68 and shoe IIIla'are so formed, and-the pivot pins I69 and Ill are so positionedwith relation to loops I 65, that the loops I65 and coil spring 40;' as originally formed, are of sufiicient strengthand resistance to support the weight or the vehicle body while maintaining the cams at a normal position at which they are ineffective to accom'- plish a'braking effect. I 1 Y 1 .It will be noted that the block and carrier are in spaced relation, ordinarily separated by the weight of the vehicle on the rubber loopsor springs I65 and the snubber coil spring 40, but are flexibly connected by the resiilent rubber loops and spring. Therefore, the carrier and block are movable inrunison for adjustment by movement of the piston I60. The piston I60 is actuated to a predetermined selective position in any suitable manner, such as the hydraulic pressure introduced through conduit I15 which communicates with the upper end of cylinder I6I, andextends to any suitable pressure source, preferably a pump operated by the motor of the vehicle, where it is regulated by the vehicle operator through any suitable valve, the pump and valve being conventional, and not being shown in the drawings,

It will thus be observed that each wheel mounted on a hanger bracket 99 which inyturn is secured to the carrier member, and is adjustable to a selected normal position, and that the operating shocks and vibration of upward thrust and downward rebound will be absorbed in the respective rubber loop snubbers I65, rebound snubber spring 40 and cam brake snubbers I68 and no.

Where the wheel suspension mechanism is employedgin a military vehicle, it is desirable that the cylinder I6I and its pressure conduit I15 extend upwardly through the top wall of recess 2| and into the vehicle body for convenient access of pressure conduit I I5 from within the vehicle and also for protective purposes of the pressure tube. In such positioning, the cylinder I6I is fixedly mounted to the inner wall of the body I5 by a clamp I6 I b bolted to the body wall.

It 'will be noted also that each of the entire wheel suspension mechanisms may be either independently or simultaneously raised or lowered relative to the vehicle body. By raising or lowering the suspension mechanism diiferent amounts on opposite sides of the vehicle, itis possible to operate the vehicle along the side of a hill or over sharply sloping or inclined ground and yet maintain the plane of the vehicle body substantially horizontal.

Emergency bumper blocks. I55a may be mounted at the upper end of the carrier I55 body; means in the housing for selectively raising and lowering the vehicle body relative to the axles of traction wheels'and includinga pressure cylinder member adapted for receiving a pressure fluid in on end portion thereof, and a piston I member reciprocable in the cylinder, one of said members having a supporting connection'to the vehicle body, a, wheel supporting mechanism slldablein the housing and connected to the other of said members, said wheel supporting mechanismincluding a cross-block fixedly mounted at the free end of the *said other member, a following carrier resiliently connected toand spaced from said block and having means for mounting a traction wheelthereto, and resilient means connecting said block and said carrier'whereby'said carrier may slide in the housing in unison with and independentlyof the cross-block, and braking means operated by tensioningof said resilient means for resisting relative movement' of block andcarrier. 2; A device having the' elements offclaim 1 and wherein said resilient'meansincludes a coil spring. connected to the block'and carrier and a second resilient means comprising a pairof elastic loops connecting the block and carrier.

3. In combination with the side wall of a vehicle body which has an inset recess inclined rearwardly from bottom to top, a housing for I mounting in said recess, means in the housing for selectively raising and lowering the vehicle body relative to the axles of traction wheels, said cable in the cylinder, one of said members having to operate in the usual manner of contacting a supporting connection to the vehicle body, and

a wheel supporting mechanism slidable in the housing and connected to the other of said members whereby the said wheel supporting mechanism may be raised and lowered by relative reciprocation of piston and cylinder.

4. A device having the elements of claim 3 and wherein said wheel supporting mechanism includes a cross-block fixedly mounted at the free end of the saidv other member, a following carrier resiliently connected to and spaced from said block and having means for mounting a traction wheel thereto, said carrier being slidable in the housing, and resilient means connecting said block and said carrier including a coil spring con- 7 ,nected to the block and carrier, and a second resilient means comprising a pair of elastic-loops connecting the block and carrier.

' 5. A suspension apparatus for supporting a ve- I hicle body relative to traction wheels thereof, comprising a housing for mounting on the vehicle body, means in the housing for selectively raising and lowering the vehicle body relative to the axles of traction wheels and including a cylinder member having a supporting connection to the vehicle body, a piston member adjustably reciprocable in the cylinder, and a wheel supporting mechanism slidable in the housing and connected to the piston member whereby the wheel supporting mechanism may be raised and lowered by relative reciprocation of the piston and cylinder, said wheel supporting mechanism including a cross-block fixedly mounted at the free end of said piston member and a following carrier resiliently connected to and spaced from said block and having means for mounting a traction wheel thereto, said following carriers being slidable in the housing in ne t wheel supporting. maybemaiseiend 4 1 uni onw tn d also indenendwflfi madam; kl A i l'owerel byz relati-i ereciprocations of thepismzand 1 i5 cylinder 1 said wlieel supporting. mechanism inclndinge cross-block mounted, enthe tree q of aid t n em np nd w l pw n u a i resiliently conneched to 1 and I spa-sea from said: blocls andlhavingqineans fioi: mountingeftracjsion wheel thereto, and resilient' means 'eonnecting} saidv blockfland said carrier for resisting, the tlmust. i n d d dew clmwemem mm w e 1 mounting. carrier relatiil egto; the cross block. l

e 7-; A fi en n a paxeius'f-o nmm se e- 'hicle relative to traction. wheels thereof; r

comprisinglgs lmusingefo'n meunoing; on; =a,- vehicle lonely,v meamnm theshousingr for, selectively; na isinge andilowering the vehiclebody relative to; b axIes of traction: .wheels and including. a pressure cylinder member-adapted for receiving-Le pnessurefluid int-70116261111 thereofv ancihaving a supporting; con- 1160171011; the? vehicle: body, means; tie admitw pressure-fluid-into-one:end1of,salidrcylinder; anariszton member -adiusbablyf neciprocable in the cylin j (1e11,; enab e; whee]; supporting mechanisne'slidaable in theqhousing and; connected tothe pistonzmema her whereby; the-wheelisuppontingzme chanismmay berari edaarid lowered: by relatiwerreciprocatiom of the Elston, and; cy1incler:,;., said wheel: supporting.

mechani'sm- -includinge c-rossz-blqels mounted; at

thewfree ende ot-said, piston emd-v a2 followingicam rier resiliently connected to and spaced. from said blocklandhe zing meansioirmountingmtracg tion wheel; thereto, and: resilientxmeansconnect-r ing saidz blockv andsaid: carrier, for resisting; upa-Z wardyand downward-l thrustof tliewheel; mount ing-ecancienrelativemthercross blocle 1 I v l L 

